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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 116 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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468
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. root — of a word
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. rush — hurry
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — goods
  12. game — a match
  13. root — the cause
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. stock — shares
  20. root — of a plant
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. kick — in football
  23. fork — in a road
  24. fork — a garden tool

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com